Title: America’s Son Abroad: Not Just Anybody
Genre: AU RPS
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Warning: None
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1100
Beta:
kathickers who is my saintly rock of beta. She makes it stronger every time!
Summary: Jensen catches Jared making a mysterious phone calls
Original:
My 2011
spn-j2-bigbang:
America's Son Abroad:
America’s Son Abroad: Jared’s Dirty Little Secret ***
Jensen was padding around the apartment. He walked into the living room and Jared hastily got off the phone. Jared sat on the couch spending way too many facial muscles pretending that there was nothing going on.
Jensen just looked at Jared, an eyebrow raised.
“Are you cheating on me?” Jensen asked dryly.
Jared looked down and didn’t say anything.
“Okay, now you are worrying me,” Jensen said coming and sitting down with Jared. “Spill it.”
Jared began to toy with the edge of one of the pillows on the couch.
Jensen’s heart nearly stopped beating. Because there was something seriously wrong.
“It’s Sophia’s fault,” Jared blurted out.
“Okay,” Jensen said patiently as he could, feeling a little edgy. “That’s worrisome. I worry about any story that starts with someone who is so into Chad.”
Jared bit his lip.
“Do you want to tell me about what Sophia is making you do,” Jensen prodded, “or do you want me to guess? I’m warning you that if I am going to guess strange phone calls on Sophia’s behalf is going to have to start guessing Chad things and it is probably going to insult everybody.”
“I’ve been talking to your mother,” Jared blurted out.
Jensen froze and Jared could see his mind working. Jared shifted uncomfortably.
“I think I’m going to need more words on this one,” Jensen said slowly.
Jared looked out their window, which had a view that was far beyond what a normal Londoner would ever hope to have outside of their window. They had it rent-free. Jared had come so far, further than he ever planned or expected.
“You know how Sophia is living in Boston, going to med school and staying near Chad,” Jared began.
“Which Kenzie is less than thrilled about,” Jensen noted. “She hauled ass back from California when she found out.”
Jared shrugged.
“So how does my mother fit into this?” Jensen said tiredly.
“Soph is having a hard time with Chad’s parents. They’re not great like your parents,” Jared began slowly, and then sped up. “They are all like, ‘you’re poor, what are you doing stealing our son from his socialite girlfriend?’ She is a doctor and loves their son, who doesn’t deserve her, but they don’t car about that.”
“I know all this,” Jensen interrupted, brow still creased.
Jared sighed, “I remembered how you said that your mom would always help and I figured that it was worth a shot to see if I could call her to get advice for Sophia. So I started with advice for Sophia and then somehow we got on a conversation about a presentation that I did for class a few months ago. She gave me terrific ways to deal with people.”
Jensen blinked. “How long has this been going on?”
Jared looked guilty. “I call her a couple of times a week for advice.”
He shifted uncomfortably.
“And?” Jensen prodded feeling that there was something that Jared was leaving out.
“Sometimes I call your grandmother, like when there was that party at the embassy,” Jared said. “She knows some of those people; she knows so much. She told me to ask about the diplomat from Switzerland’s cufflinks. You know the one who let us use his chalet because he liked me so much?”
Jensen nodded slowly.
And then opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Jared rushed on. “I didn’t know that I needed it, until I started. It is so much easier with them in my corner. I know that you like me the way I am, but I am in this world that is way over my head and I want to be here, I feel like I deserve to be here. I just need help.”
Jensen was quiet for a long time.
“Are you mad?” Jared finally asked.
Jensen looked at him incredulously. “I think that you totally misread the reason that I didn’t want them to overhaul you. It wasn’t because I didn’t want you to, I just didn’t want you to think that you had to. I do think you are perfect. I think you are awesome. You’ve done so well on your own.”
“I just didn’t want you to think that I couldn’t do it,” Jared muttered.
Jensen shook his head and looked down. “I don’t know how to do everything, remember? You showed me how to do laundry, how to budget my life--”
“Which was totally not needed once I saw your account,” Jared muttered. “The only time you’d have budget for anything would be if you wanted to buy a space ship.”
“But you showed me things I didn’t know,” Jensen said slowly, trying to find the words. “Your mother was the one who helped me make Christmas. She sent the lights and the right ornaments. I had no clue how to make you feel less homesick on Christmas. Why did you think I would be mad? I do the same thing.”
“Because I thought you didn’t want me to,” Jared muttered. “You don’t want me to ask them for help.”
Jensen shook his head. “I don’t want you to think that I think I need you to do that. I don’t want you to do it for me.”
Jared swallowed. “If I don’t know something, I ask. I don’t know this. It is pretty scary sometimes. Talking to your mother and grandmother helps.”
“It takes a real man to ask for help,” Jensen said.
Jared stopped. “We’re saying the same thing, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” Jensen said rubbing the back of his neck. “I think we both kind of don’t want to look weak for asking for help.”
Jared gave him a weak smile. “It’s because we’re both so awesome.”
Jensen let out a sigh. “I’m just terrifically glad that if you go behind my back for something it’s to my mother. You have too much pride, man. You could have just asked me.”
“Not really,” Jared said slowly. “I mean that is the thing. You know how to do it, but I’m not sure you can explain it, I’m not sure that you know exactly why or how or some of the details. Your mother is kind of like me, she had to learn it, she knows those little things that you take for granted.”
Jensen thought about it for a moment. “When those things come up can you tell me? I mean I don’t want to fix them, I just want to know what they are. I don’t want to take anything in life for granted.”
With that he leaned in and gave Jared a kiss slow and soft, tongue tracing over the contours of his lips and slipping into his mouth.
“Jensen,” Jared said a little huskily.
“Yeah Jared,” Jensen replied.
“I’ve got something I really could use some help with,” Jared moaned a little.
“That I can definitely do,” Jensen replied.